TVA Discusses Progress, Next Steps in Energy Plan

March 21, 2014

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. ? The Tennessee Valley Authority on Wednesday, March 26, will discuss progress in updating TVA’s long-range energy resources plan and more than 1,100 comments received from the public.

“We are developing scenarios of things we cannot change, such as shifts in the economy or new regulations, and strategies for responding to them with the things we can control,” said Gary Brinkworth, program manager for the 2015 Integrated Resource Plan. “The next step will be testing these assumptions through modeling.”

Brinkworth will discuss this process at the IRP public meeting on Wednesday beginning at 7 p.m. EDT at TVA’s Missionary Ridge office building, 1101 Market St., Chattanooga, and through a simultaneous online webinar link (register for webinar here.)

The IRP is being revised to help TVA determine power generation resources that will continue to balance the region’s energy supply among a variety of sources – nuclear, coal, gas, hydroelectric, renewables and energy efficiency. The updated IRP, to be completed in about a year, will address significant changes in the economy and the electric utility industry since the existing energy plan was completed in 2011.

TVA received 1,156 public comments on the “scope” of the plan, following two initial public meetings last fall in Knoxville and Memphis.

A large number of comments supported TVA’s decisions to retire coal-fired power plants, though many urged continued or increased reliance on coal.

Several encouraged TVA to increase energy efficiency and renewable generation, including hydroelectric. Nuclear power had both supporters and opponents. Some supported greater use of natural gas, while others were concerned about price volatility and environmental impacts of fracking.

“We appreciate so many stakeholders offering their thoughts on this important analysis of how we can best serve the Valley’s needs for reliable, low-cost energy in the decades ahead,” Brinkworth said.

As part of this initiative, TVA will consider the environmental impacts associated with the IRP through a Supplemental Environmental Impact Study.

Drafts of the IRP and the SEIS are scheduled to be published this fall, followed by public meetings in early 2015 and presentation to the TVA board of directors in spring 2015. TVA will continue to receive comments and questions by e-mail at IRP@tva.gov. Please visit the project website for additional information http://www.tva.gov/irp.

The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power distributors serving 9 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. TVA receives no taxpayer funding, deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity. In addition to operating and investing its revenues in its electric system, TVA provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation.